Wayne Parham Messages: 18787 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
Caps are more prone to age degradation than any other component, especially electrolytics. Actually, most other kinds of caps age well but electrolytics surely don't. So those must be replaced from time to time, especially if the equipment containing them is only rarely used.
gofar99 Messages: 1949 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I tend to agree...but in all the time I have been using gear (mostly Marantz) or designing my own I have never had a cap go so far out of wack that I needed to replace it. I suspect it partly comes from having high quality gear and using only similar stuff in my designs. I am sure that budget caps are more likely to fail. A problem I have run into in some folks diy builds using tubes is to use 85C rated electrolytics. Only 105C ones ought to be used and they should be placed away from. heat sources. I get a chuckle out of a lot of vintage gear with "can" caps placed right next to power tubes. A guaranteed way to cause problems.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18787 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
One situation where I see a high probability for the need of electrolytic capacitor replacement is the restoration of old tube radios. If I buy a tube radio at an estate sale or something, it is more likely to need power supply capacitors even than it needs tubes. Lots of 'em need both, but almost all need caps. They'll hum like they have no power supply filter at all - 'cause they really don't - the caps are bad. Swap 'em and it's quiet as a mouse. Well, not really. LOL Those old table radios always give a little gentle hum.
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